The present invention is directed to a medicated lip balm for treating cheilitis, a medical term for painful dry inflamed lips. There are many causes of cheilitis, including severe weather conditions and one of the side effects from the use of medications, such as isotretinoin, for treating severe acne.
The chief treatment for cheilitis through the use of lip balms which contain phenol, menthol or camphor. Traditional lip balms are ineffective in the treatment of cheilitis and, in many cases, make the condition worse.
Although there are suggestions in the prior art for the use of hydrocortisone as an ingredient in lip balms or sticks, the prevailing medical view is that any lip balm which contains hydrocortisone should not be used on mucous membranes. Other current treatment for cheilitis includes ointments which contain hydrocortisone as the medication and base for delivering the medication to the epidermis of the lips. Most ointments have an unpleasant taste and a base, such as thick petroleum jelly, which is not entirely suitable. A suitable base is defined as a material capable delivering a medication to the epidermis (diffuse into the epidermis) as determined by the relative solubility of the active ingredient in the base, usually called the vehicle, versus the solubility of the material in the epidermis. Since the lips have a moist surface, there is a tendency for the base not to "stick". Some lip balms have a base which includes a combination of wax and a mineral oil or a combination of wax and petroleum jelly. The mineral oil or the petroleum jelly allows the lip balm to be transferred or applied to the lips. The wax holds the medication on the lips and lets the medication diffuse into the skin. The correct ratios for the wax and petroleum jelly or wax and mineral oil are difficult or nearly impossible to obtain. The lip balm is either too stiff (due to the wax) or too greasy (due to the petroleum jelly or to the mineral oil).
These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art lip balms have been obviated by the present invention.
A principle object of the invention is the provision of a lip balm that includes hydrocortisone of a concentration that is effective in the treatment of cheilitis and is considered safe as dictated by FDA standards and a base which permits diffusion of the hydrocortisone into the epidermis of the lips and which enables the lip balm to stay on the lips for a sufficient time to permit diffusion of the hydrocortisone into the epidermis of the lips.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a lip balm which is not objectionally greasy and sufficiently rigid to be self supporting without being too stiff.